Leaders in health and reproductive justice is a group of Latinx community members who meet regularly at El Pueblo to learn about health and reproductive justice, to develop skills to engage in community action and lead El Pueblo´s reproductive justice campaigns. During the 12-week interactive, popular education training series, the group learns about the difference between the reproductive health, reproductive justice, and reproductive rights frameworks; basic anatomy; birth control; HIV/STI prevention; gender identity and sexual orientation; abortion; and policies and legislation that impact our communities’ reproductive freedom; and develops their skills to take action and participate in campaigns to counteract restrictive or oppressive policies.

Reproductive justice refers to all of the aspects in a person’s life that impacts their ability to make decisions about their body (bodily autonomy) and form the families and communities that they want.

If you would like to participate in or support with this training series, contact Florence at 919 835-1525, ext. 107 or at florence@elpueblo.org.

Examples of reproductive justice campaigns that our leaders have supported:

Anti-Shackling Campaign

In North Carolina, incarcerated individuals and those who are in detention centers can be shackled while pregnant and while laboring. El Pueblo is partnering with SisterSong in their anti-shackling campaign to put an end to this horrific practice. For additional information, check out the #endshacklingNC campaign, or go to SisterSong’s webpage.

Access to Driver´s Licenses

In North Carolina, undocumented community members are unable to apply for and obtain a drivers’ license. For many community members involved with El Pueblo, not having access to a driver’s licenses impacts their ability to get to work, school, and leisure activities subject them to increased scrutiny and costs due to interactions with law enforcement and puts them at risk for deportation. Lack of driver’s licenses affects community members’ ability to access health care and to enjoy their basic human dignity in the state. It does not have to be like this in our state: click here for a table of all the states that have passed better, more welcoming policies.

Fake Women’s Health Clinics

Fake women’s health clinics are everywhere in North Carolina. They pose as medical clinics and provide false pregnancy-related information to individuals who are pregnant and need support in order to block them from accessing abortion care. They may look like comprehensive health clinics, but they may not have any licensed medical staff as part of their organization. Unfortunately, our state legislators have begun funding these clinics at higher levels each year and community members involved with El Pueblo have asked them to stop. For additional information, check out this link.